Spring hit the west coast ski areas, and the warm temperatures and sunny skies won’t be interrupted for at least one week. By the time the end of next week rolls around, the storm track might shift enough to bring high-elevation snow back to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and perhaps Tahoe (I’m uncertain if the storm track will dip this far south).

Yes, it’s possible that late April could be snowy and would make up for a relative lack of snow during the middle of the month, but that’s too far away to forecast with much confidence.

It’s no secret that this was a tough season for the coast, as Tahoe will finish with about 50 percent of average snow; Oregon will be a bit better than that, and it took until the last third of the season for Washington to catch up to average snowpack. In short, the northern west coast offered good skiing late in the season, while consistent snow was lacking further south in Tahoe and Mammoth.

The silver lining is that there might be an El Nino next winter (2014–2015), and if this happens, then the southern portions of the coast (Tahoe south to Mammoth) that could see big snow. Let’s hope the atmosphere plays fair and lets all mountains enjoy deep powder!